The present project concerns the restoration and reuse of a ruin that is a part and microcosm of this urban tissue. Of course, the building could not avoid being affected by the stimuli of the place and could not escape respecting the Order that governs them. The purpose of the study was to transform
from a dilapidated house into a small hotel.
The study began with the systematic recording and measuring of the existing situation. Significant damage was found to the lightweight structures, partitions and coatings of the building, but the solid limestone building structure proved to be durable over time and was the main guide for solving this architectural problem.
The functional structure of the edifice is done on three levels. The public spaces and the public passage are located on the ground floor while the hotel rooms are placed on the two above floors . The entrance is through a porous iron door that allows the gaze of the passing explorer in the semi-outdoor space of the gallery. The continuation of the course leads to the square like atrium that divides the movements either towards the reception area (hall) or through the ascend of an outdoor staircase to the rooms of the accommodation. The shady and silent space of the hall is divided into two equal parts by a semi-cylindrical arch and leads to the enclosed
space of the courtyard which is the end of the public path. The rooms, on the upper levels, are divided into single rooms and double-heighted. In the first case the separation of auxiliary spaces is done by adding a light partition of “T” layout in the small dimension of the room, while in the double-heighted the auxiliary spaces are placed under the lofts.
Each intervention was made with respect to the historical, structural and morphological elements of the shell. Consecutive plaster coatings were removed to reveal the solid porolithic structure. The different stone structures dating from the beginning of the 15th century are the traces from the different historical phases of the building. The modern interventions are made with earthy tones (wood, granite, iron) and without decorative mood in order to highlight the rich historicity of the building and to give the necessary space for the unfolding of its new use.
Location: Rhodes, Greece
Architects: P4architecture
Design Team: Evangelos Fokialis
Contributors: Stamatia Fokiali, Kampouropoulos Savvas
Project Architect Evangelos Fokialis
Area: 526 m2
Project year: 2014
